Ten Tors News (01) November 2006

Well what a glorious start to the first day of the training hikes with the sun shining throughout. OK it was a bit misty at 7.30 when the leaders gathered at the gasworks but that may have been more to do with the lack of a lie in!

We arrived at the 169th to be confronted with a mass of people but not a sign of a bacon butty – surely we should be looking after the nutrional needs of the older leaders to help them keep up?

One of the side effects of so many walkers this year is the time it takes to co-ordinate and scrutinise everyone into their teams. How ever we were soon on our way and arrived at Burrington Combe at about 9.20. Despite the sunshine there was a lot of frost around which kept everyone well wrapped up until about half way up Blackdown. The views from the top were excellent and we were soon joined by a hot air balloon, which we suspected contained Mike Long so he could improve his filming techniques.

Once we had cleared the open ground of Blackdown it became apparent to the map readers they should not have obscured the route with pencil markings. It may seem helpful in the hut when planning the route but it then means all the details you need cannot be seen. A lesson the Mendip wardens need to learn is the legal rights of access to bridleways. If they wish to organise a Shoot then it shouldn’t block or threaten access to it. As a result of this Stuart and Shaun are now adding a fleece lined bullet proof vest to their Christmas list.

Overall it was a successful day providing a good deal of information about levels of fitness (especially for some of the leaders!) and navigational skills.

One issue to highlight is the collection/meeting times at the gasworks. Its impossible to specify an exact time of arrival due to the weather, underfoot conditions, navigational errors etc. Can you please ensure you have the means to communicate with your parents either through your own phone or ask to borrow a leaders.

Lets hope we get as much sunshine next time !

Tony